The future of our children

 This is to bring you the case of a company based out of Australia ‘Rio Tinto’. Orissa Mining Corporation (OMC) a Govt. of Odisha undertaking not too long back has snapped its Joint Venture (JV) with the said company. I am glad that the said has happened; the same will safeguard the future of Odisha / India. However, I will be glad if an enquiry is set up to find out as to how & why was this non sustainable /one sided/ illegal JV between OMC & Rio Tinto signed in the first place. The said JV might not have benefited OMC or Odisha or India but the same has provided for a number of benefits to ‘Rio Tinto’ and the same has been at a cost to our country. A detailed investigation by a competent team hopefully will fetch us more clarity on the said.

I would like to bring in another aspect of Rio Tinto, which will affect the people of Odisha in the future, particularly the people of Angul district. I had met the hon’ble PM of India in June 2011 and appraised him about the pollution & public health concerns of Dhenkanal-Angul-Talcher belt. This belt has been notified as the 7^th critically polluted zone of India. It is this ‘Rio Tinto’ company which has sold its old (used) HIsmelt (Pig Iron) plant to Jindal Steel & Power Ltd (JSPL). It was in year 2008 that Rio Tinto had shut down this HIsmelt plant at its Kwinana site (Australia). The fact however is that the shut down happened after an internal review, reportedly conducted under pressure by a few officials of the Govt. of Australia. The reason cited by the Company in its report for the halt in production was, sharp fall in pig iron prices in the wake of the global financial crisis. Where as, in year 2008 the matter was contrary, the demand was at its peak. If insiders under anonymity are to be believed it is said that the pressure for closure was due to excessive pollution and also keeping in mind the year 2009 new environmental legislature of the Govt. of Australia.

The said HIsmelt plant is the first of its kind. Our country does not have a competent wing which can holistically assess new technologies. The import laws of our country are very loosely stated and it’s very easy to bring in any kind of equipment through the holes of the law. The CM of Odisha has been appraised but he chooses to elude.

Are we blinded by the commercial benefits that we can afford to ignore the environmental hazards, the health of millions and the future of our children?